Jharkhand exam protest: Cabinet meets ahead of fresh talks as stir enters day 24

The Jharkhand cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, met on Monday, August 17, ahead of a fresh round of talks between a government panel and job aspirants protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations in the state.

The students' delegation was earlier informed that it would hold talks with the government panel at 2 pm. The protest entered its 24th day on Monday, August 17, with six agitators still on hunger strike. "Jharkhand cabinet meeting, chaired by CM Soren, is on. The delegation will meet the students after this," an official said.

A 10-member panel of the students include JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch leaders Ravindra Paswan, Piyush Kumar Singh and Ravindra Kumar Ravi.

On Sunday, the demonstrators burnt the effigies of Soren, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, accusing the JMM-Congress alliance of "failing to take concrete action" on their demands.

In the evening, the state government invited the protesters for a fresh round of talks on Monday afternoon.

Savita Kumari, one of the protesters on fast, said, "Our delegation is scheduled to hold a meeting with the government at 2 pm. We want complete reforms in Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), along with a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities and the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL exam."

"I have appeared in various recruitment tests, including the 14th JPSC examination held on April 19. But it is very unfortunate that due to corruption, jobs of deserving candidates have been sold."

Indicating that a breakthrough might be possible, Minister for Rural Development Dipika Pandey Singh said, "The 14th JPSC examination will be cancelled."

"We will write to the ED to investigate the alleged financial misappropriation. The CID probe will be court-monitored. The government is committed to bring reforms to safeguard the future of students," she said.

Rahul Kranti, another protester on hunger strike and undergoing treatment in Sadar Hospital, told PTI that he expects Monday's dialogue would break the impasse.

"But the agitation will not end if the government does not agree to our demands for a probe by the CBI and cancellation of various state-level recruitment examinations conducted since 2019."

Another protester on hunger strike, Umme Habiba, echoed the same sentiment and said the proposal for fresh talks "shows their (government's) sensitivity towards our concerns".

A core member of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch that is spearheading the protest told PTI that a delegation comprising 11 members, including a legal advisor, will attend the meeting.

The proposed meeting will be the seventh round of talks between the government and the agitating students. The previous rounds of talks failed to yield any breakthrough.

The decision came following a meeting between the protesters and the sub-divisional officer and the additional district magistrate (Law and Order) at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium.

"We will definitely go for the talks as we want to resolve the issue through dialogue. We are firm on two of our demands -- a CBI probe into irregularities in recruitment exams and cancellation of the JSSC-CGL exams," JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch leader Ravindra Paswan told reporters.

The protesters are demanding a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in recruitment exams and the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination.

The agitators took out a torchlight procession from the protest site of Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium to Albert Ekka Chowk on Sunday, where they burnt the effigies. Several districts witnessed similar protests.

The students expressed disappointment over the ruling JMM-Congress alliance "failing to take tangible action" on their demands, and alleged that the government was playing politics over issues concerning the future of job aspirants.

The agitators had on Saturday announced that they would gherao the chief minister's residence on August 20, and appealed to students from across Jharkhand to assemble in Ranchi for the demonstration.

"We seek the CM's resignation, as both the JMM and the Congress have been playing politics with us," Paswan alleged.

The protesters have also demanded that the Congress withdraw its support from the JMM-led government if the chief minister fails to act on their concerns.

Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand assembly, Babulal Marandi, on Sunday urged Soren to accept the students' demands and backed their call for a CBI investigation.

"The students have been demanding a CBI probe into the irregularities, and I think the government should order it. Why does the government fear this?" Marandi said.

He said continued government "inaction" could force more youth and students to take to the streets.

On the proposed gherao of the CM's residence, Marandi said the BJP would extend moral support to the students, who have been protesting "peacefully" for more than three weeks.

The Congress has said its state unit would discuss the issue at a meeting on August 18.

"Any attempt to harm the future of Jharkhand's youth will not be tolerated," state Congress media in-charge Rakesh Sinha said, adding that the party would raise the students' concerns and push for transparency, impartiality and a time-bound recruitment process.

The protesters have also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying that although he had expressed support for students, no concrete action followed.